


5 Times Peter was Having Issues (And 1 Time He Wasn't)

by VyxenSkye



Series: In Which... [1]
Category: Deadpool - All Media Types, The Amazing Spider-Man (Movies - Webb), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Child In Danger, Drowning, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Minor Injuries, More tags to follow, Peter keeps getting into trouble, Sickness, Slow Burn, Starvation, Wade the Savior, eventual spideypool, kind of, mentions of eating disorders, probably inaccurate medical stuff, some serious injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-23
Packaged: 2018-05-24 09:08:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,197
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6148600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VyxenSkye/pseuds/VyxenSkye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>.... And How Wade Was Involved in Each One</p><p>A random '5 times' fic. Peter getting into trouble and Wade being there to get him out of it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In Which Peter Gets Tacos (and they make a reappearance)

**Author's Note:**

> This is seriously random. Blame my sleeping brain. I came up with this while laying in bed this morning refusing to get up. I've seen these fics before, wanted to try one, and came up with this, and in the first chapter we have one of the sort of cliches of the Spiderman world - Peter can't afford food! But don't worry, it's Wade to the rescue!
> 
> Warning: Some talk of eating disorders. I do my best to keep things as realistic as possible (I even did some research) but I am by no means a doctor.

Peter had learned to be very, very careful.

  
It wasn't that he didn't _want_ the help that people would no doubt offer him (though it _would_ be extremely helpful, he supposed) but rather that he didn't want them to know. It was a tough thing to tell people that you needed help with anything, and there were a few things that were harder than normal to admit. Money was a big one for most people, as was home life, things like that.

  
And while Peter certainly struggled with money, it wasn't the money part of it that was causing him problems, per say. Nope, Peter had some more difficult struggles, and didn't want or know how to tell anyone.

  
Didn't know how to tell his friends and family that he was starving.

  
And not in the metaphorical 'Oh damn, I haven't eaten since this morning, I'm _starving_!' way. In the 'I haven't had regular meals in longer than I can remember and I realized recently that I can count my ribs far too easily' sort of way.

  
Oh, he managed to get by most days by finding other places to eat other than his rundown apartment. This generally involved stopping by to see Aunt May, or going by the Tower to see his friends and go to meetings. Through this method he usually got a good meal at least three times a week. The other meals, though... _those_ were the problems.

  
On a typical day you could find several packs of ramen noodles buried in Peter's empty cupboards, and so he'd eat those whenever he had to. He was by far sick of ramen, but when you had barely two cents to rub together, you took what you could get. But even with this, usually by pay day he'd been out of food for several days and scrounging where he could.

  
How pathetic was he? What would New York think if they found out that Spiderman couldn't even afford to buy food? He knew that Jameson would have a field day with that, so he vowed never to let them find out - padding the suit wasn't too difficult, and something that he managed to do with materials Tony had been more than willing to give him. He'd asked the inventor under the guise of beefing up the suit so it would protect him better, and Tony had happily provided him with the synthetic Kevlar armor that was used in the Captain America uniform.

  
A few strategically sewed pads later, and it wasn't too obvious that Spiderman was getting thinner by the day.

  
When Deadpool found out, though, _that_ was when things started to change.

  
Out of all the people that he saw on a day to day basis, Wade was one that he generally avoided. It wasn't that he didn't like the merc - actually, he quite enjoyed his company on most days - it was just that he was too damn _nosy_. He liked to know everything that was going on in Peter's life, and his eyes had a habit of being glued to whatever bit of the hero he could see.

  
If anyone was going to notice his weight loss, it would be Deadpool.

  
This particular incident happened late into the night (or early, depending on how you looked at it) while Peter was sitting on the edge of a building near a main street. It had been a quiet few nights, which was nice, but at the same time boring. The young man groaned faintly, hunching forward as his stomach gave a particularly violent ache inside him.

  
Food... _god_ , he was so hungry. He'd had ramen earlier, but that hadn't done much to change the hunger gnawing at his insides. The last full, real meal he'd had had been nearly four days ago, and he'd ended up throwing up much of it because he'd let the hunger take control and had eaten too much and too fast.

  
Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to be out here. He could smell food.

  
Wait... He really _could_ smell food. Mexican. Tacos?

  
....Deadpool?

  
"Well lookie here, if it isn't my favorite Spider!"

  
Peter whipped around in slight surprise - how had the merc gotten up here without him noticing? - and had to slap a hand onto the ground to stop the swaying, tilting world. Ooo, dizzy spell. He hadn't had one of those in a little while. "Wade, what are you doing here?" he demanded, doing his best to get his bearings back.

  
The grin was visible even through the red and black mask, and Peter settled as the merc came to sit beside him. "I was walking along, and looked up and saw feet! At first I was confused because feet didn't belong up there, but then I recognized the feet, and they were you! So I decided to come and see you, and I just happened to have tacos! Want some?"

  
Before he could even help it, Peter's mouth flooded and he reached out a hand. "Oh God, I might love you."

  
Well he hadn't meant to say that.

  
"Well damn, baby boy, if I had known tacos were the way to your heart, I would have done this a lot sooner!" Wade chirped, but he was more than happy to pass over the bag, watching as Peter practically ripped the mask up to his nose and shoved the first taco in his mouth. Deadpool clearly blinked at him behind the white lenses of his mask, tilting his head.

  
"You know, it's not good to breathe tacos, Spidey." he commented with interest in his voice, watching as the smaller man nearly inhaled several tacos. "You might wanna slow down, there before you choke."

  
He watched as Peter swallowed down a huge mouthful, and then tilted his head. "You okay?"

  
Nodding, Peter, wiped the back of his wrist across his mouth, and grinned a little at the merc. "Yeah. Sorry, it's been... a bit." He turned his attention back to the bag of tacos, intent on grabbing another one, and jumped when he felt fingers against his cheek.

  
He looked up in surprise, meeting the white lenses of the Deadpool mask from behind his own lenses. He could see the furrowing of the other man's brows beneath the fabric, and he swallowed a little thickly as he felt gloved fingers trace the curve of his cheek.

  
"You're losing weight, baby boy." Wade's voice was serious, a little deeper than normal as his normal cheer seeped from his tone. "I can see it in your face."

  
"I-I'm fine." Peter stuttered immediately, despite the sort of rumbling gurgling that his stomach was currently doing. Ooo, maybe Wade had been right about the slowing down, he didn't feel so good.

  
The tacos made a reappearance a moment later as Peter turned and threw up, stumbling to his feet as he tried to move away from Deadpool. He heard the faint sound of surprise from the other man, but was too busy trying to keep his stomach from following the food out his mouth.

  
Panting heavily, Peter attempted to straighten up, and immediately reeled as his vision washed out. He listed to the side, and barely had enough time to realize that he'd fallen into muscular arms before God put the world on spin-cycle and he was swept away in darkness.

  
*********

  
Peter woke with a start, his eyes flying open wide and his chest heaving. He attempted to sit up, but the dizziness drove him back down to the surprisingly soft bed, leaving him groaning. He was cold...

  
... and naked? Was he naked?

  
Nope, not naked. Mask and pants still very much in place. But why was he shirtless?

  
"Easy there, Spidey, you need to rest."

  
He jumped, and looked to the side to see Deadpool watching him silently from his spot in a chair next to the bed. Wade seemed rather... serious, and Peter couldn't help but shrink back from his intense stare.

  
"Wade?" he finally squeaked, and he got a sigh in return before Deadpool leaned forward, pulling him up carefully into a sitting position. It surprised Peter a little bit at how slow he was going - he seemed to be aware of how bad Peter was having it. "Why am I shirtless?"

  
It was then that Peter realized that shirtless equaled no padding, which meant that Wade could see his ribs.

  
His very easily seen ribs.

  
Immediately he tried to pull the sheet up over his torso, making a sigh come from the merc as he got the pillows set up so he could lean on them. "I've already seen them, Spidey, it doesn't really do you much good to hide them now. And I had to make sure you weren't hurt somewhere that I couldn't see. Why haven't you said anything? Are you doing this on purpose? I don't know why you would, you're gorgeous and don't need to lose any weight, but I'm not gonna judge, you know, but I'm here for you..."

  
"I'm not." Peter squeaked, and then swallowed before speaking again, having cut off Wade's rather absent-minded rambling. "Not doing it on purpose." He said, looking away in embarrassment.

  
Deadpool stared at him for a moment, and then the merc sighed, running a hand over his face. "Okay. Okay... so _not_ doing it on purpose. Which means you're not eating because..." There was a mumble from the other, and Wade sighed again before shaking his head a little. "Because you can't buy food. God Spidey. Why didn't you _say_ something?"

  
Peter was silent for a long moment. "I didn't want anyone to know." he finally replied, his voice soft.

  
There was nothing but silent from the other man, and then he got up and left the room. Peter watched this with wide eyes, trying to figure out if he'd said something, or if Wade was just tired of him, or thought he was stupid... But then the merc returned, a glass of orange juice in his hands.

  
"Drink this." he said, pushing the glass at him. He held onto it until Peter took it in shaking hands, and then sat back in his chair. "Slow. Little sips to make sure you're gonna hold onto it. Any troubles with your mouth? Bleeding, things like that? What about your skin?"

  
"I-I... what?" Peter asked, sipping at the orange juice. It tasted great, but what were those questions about? "No, nothing like that."

  
"Good. You must have been eating a bit, then, just not often enough to keep your weight up. When was the last time you ate?"

  
This was more than a little like an interogation. "Last night." he said softly.

  
Wade huffed faintly. "Nothing good, though, I'm thinking. Something cheap, not much nutrution. What about a real meal?"

  
Again Peter looked away, sort of cowering a little in embarrassment. "Four days." he finally admitted. "It was... I ended up throwing up though."

  
The merc sighed, and then shook his head a little. "Alright, here's what we're going to do. You're going to stay here..." He raised his voice over Peter's protests, not even paying any attention to him. " _And_ we're going to work on getting you back to normal. Got it?"

  
"What... I... how do you even _know_ all this? And why are you helping me?" Peter finally stuttered out, unsure of what else to say.

  
Deadpool frowned, crossing his arms over his chest. "Let's just say that starvation and I are old friends. I know what to do to get you back from it, and you'll be easier than the few times I've had to deal with it. At least you've been getting something in your system every now and then."

  
He suddenly grinned, the bright and happy voice back. "Besides, you're my pal! I wanna make sure you're feeling great, because we have to hang out, and you won't feel like hanging out if you don't feel good!" He clapped his hands together. "SLEEPOVER!!!"

  
Peter could only blink at him with wide eyes, hands a little tense around the half-empty glass of juice in his hands. He listened absently as Wade rambled on about juice, oatmeal, and other things to feed him, and slowly a smile spread over his lips. "Wade."

  
Like a switch was thrown, the sound of his voice made Deadpool stop, and his attention was immediately on Peter. "Yes, baby boy?"

  
"Thanks."

  
He could see Wade beaming at that. "Of course! What wouldn't I do for my favorite spider!? And you know where I live now - you can always come here to get some grub, baby boy. I'll make sure to keep the window unlocked and the fridge full, okay?"

  
Peter blinked, shaking his head. "No, I couldn't do that, that's not fair of me..." He was cut off as Wade's finger pressed to his lips, his eyes widening.

  
"Up, up, up, up! No arguing now, I'm offering, and you gotta take the offer, cause it's one you can't refuse. Cause if I don't see you here eating at least once a day I'm gonna come looking for you and make sure you ate, kapeesh?"

  
Peter blinked again, and then a soft smile spread across his features and he nodded. Maybe... he wouldn't have to ask for help after all.


	2. In Which Peter Gets the Sneezes (And Wade Provides a Lap)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm on a roll :D

This was one of the worst things that could have happened ever. Like... the WORST. _POSSIBLE_. _**THING!**_

  
Underlined, bolded, and everything.

  
Peter sniffled.

  
Sneezed.

  
Then groaned when he realized that he hadn't had his mask up.

  
Perhaps this patrolling while sick thing wasn't such a good idea. The Spiderman mask made it really hard to have a cough and to sneeze. A shiver moved through his body, and he settled a little closer to the wall, doing his best to stay out of the cold breeze.

  
At least it wasn't snowing. That would only make this more difficult.

  
If nothing else, he had put on weight, and that helped. Despite his... reluctance to take Deadpool's 'deal,' as it were, he had still shown up at the merc's apartment at least once every two days for a meal. Wade insisted that he come more often, even stay there like he had for the first few days, but he didn't quite feel comfortable with that.

  
Though he was beginning to feel more... at home around the merc.

  
It was surprising to him how _different_ Deadpool was from all the things that people said about him. It was well known that the Merc with a Mouth was a fast-talking, vulgar, violent man who was crazier than a bag of rabid cats. He would rather shoot you then speak to you, let alone help you with anything.

  
But here Peter was, receiving help from said man.

  
Peter was quickly beginning to realize that while Deadpool was many of the things that were said about him, there was another side to him - one that was truly Wade Wilson, not Deadpool. And Wade was, more than anything, good people. He had a big heart and a desire to help those that he cared for in any way that he could, and it was surprisingly easy to gain his affections.

  
His trust, however, was a bit more difficult to achieve, as Peter was beginning to see. He'd spent nearly three days staying with Wade in his apartment, and he still didn't quite feel like he knew him. He was a happy, expressive man, and yet somehow he still hid all that he felt behind those expressions. And the mask that was ever-present - Peter saw him in civilian clothes a few times over those days, but the mask never budged, and neither did the gloves.

It wasn't that he didn't know what Wade looked like - he hadn't ever seen the merc's face completely, that was true, but he had seen the lower half of his face when they'd eaten together. He knew that Wade had scars, and that didn't bother him. If anything it spoke of what he'd gone through, and how strong he was that he was still here. And Peter _was_ intensely curious, but he didn't want to push him at the same time. After all, he hadn't shown his face to Wade either... though that was starting to become more difficult. He wanted to tell him...

  
Now, throat sore, nose plugged, and body aching, Peter felt a desire to go back to him. There were only two people in the world that made him feel protected and cared for, and he was surprised to add another one to that number. Aunt May... Uncle Ben... and now Wade Wilson. It surprised him how safe Wade made him feel, considering how violent everyone proclaimed him to be. He could already hear Tony spouting it off...

  
Shaking his head, he quickly glanced around to be sure that no one was nearby before yanking off the mask, doing his best to wipe the snot and saliva from the inside before grimacing and pulling it back on.

  
...Yep, he really wanted to see Wade. It was a strange desire to go and hang out with Deadpool, but he decided to hell with it - he'd go see the merc.

  
Besides, he was hungry, and he'd been ordered to go and get a meal whenever he wanted to under pain of kidnapping and force-feeding.

  
Swinging brought up the aches and pains that were hiding in his joints due to the sickness and the cold surrounding him, but he ignored it and headed for the apartment block that Deadpool lived in. It was a surprisingly nice one, even if Deadpool wasn't exactly the cleanest person in the world. Even so, it was a pretty nice place, and Peter quite liked it there.

  
He carefully opened the window, poking his head inside slowly. "Wade?" he called, and immediately choked on a cough as his throat protested speaking. He sniffled faintly, looking around the apartment. There was no response to his call, and he decided that Deadpool must be out, so he pulled himself inside and closed the window behind him.

  
It was warm in Wade's apartment, and Peter let out a sigh of relief. The suit had kept its padding despite the fact that he didn't need the camouflage anymore, and while it was a bit better at absorbing some punches, it didn't do much for the cold. He made his way inside the apartment, going to the fridge and looking around for something to eat.

  
A frowned when he didn't see anything that he was interested in, especially since his stomach was feeling a little upset due to the coughing that kept taking him. He sighed, and grabbed some of the orange juice, pouring a glass and going to sit on the couch.

  
Now that he was warm and comfortable, he felt more relaxed. Slowly he ended up laying on the couch, occasionally sipping his orange juice. It wasn't long before he was asleep, conked out and snoring.

  
He woke with a start hours later, coughing and attempting to breathe. He gasped a little as he tried to get air through the fit, and then settled slowly, panting. It was then that he realized there was a hand petting up and down his back, and a soft voice mumbling reassurances to him. He turned to look at him, and blinked when he saw Wade sitting there, in jeans and a red sweater with the Deadpool logo on it, a faint smile visible through his mask.

  
"Got air now, baby boy?" he asked gently. "I was worried there for a minute. You were snuffling in your sleep too, you sound pretty stuffed up. Did you take meds?"

  
Peter blinked at him, and then slowly nodded. "Yeah. B'fore I went out on p'trol."

  
Wade huffed a laugh. "You were on patrol? That wasn't very smart of you, Spidey. You're sick, you should be at home all wrapped up in blankets and drinking hot tea or something." He grinned, bouncing up off the bed. "I can get that! You sit right here, I'll put the kettle on!"

  
Watching this, Peter couldn't help but giggle. Sometimes Wade said the most ridiculous things, and somehow it just made him care for the merc even more. He settled back on the couch, and then blinked as he looked down at the couch. He was sitting in a mess of a few blankets.

  
...How long had Wade been there?

  
"When d'you get home, Wade?" Peter asked, his voice a little thick due to the stuffed nose and sore throat.

  
"About an hour ago." Wade answered as he turned on the stove. "You looked a little cold, I hope you don't mind. I put some blankets on you, but I didn't have a pillow, so I just sat on the couch and let you use my lap." He looked towards Peter, the white eyes somehow a little wider, the look more than a little adorable. "Was that okay?"

  
Peter blinked at him, and then laughed softly. "Yeah, that was okay. I... think it actually helped. I haven't slept that good in a few days."

  
"Ooo, does this mean I get to cuddle with you some more?!" Wade practically squealed, bouncing a little in place before moving closer. Peter only had time to squeak in surprise when he was suddenly scooped off the couch and into Wade's arms.

  
"Wade!" he cried, only to be caught up in a coughing fit a moment later. He curled into a ball in Wade's arms, his hands pressed to his chest as he coughed. He finally settled, thankfully only a moment later, to find Wade apologizing ferociously.

  
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to! Stop coughing, okay, I'll put you down!" Wade babbled, starting to put him back down, but he was surprised as Peter shook his head, curling further against his chest and rubbing his cheek on the merc's shoulder.

  
"'S okay." he murmured, shuddering faintly with the exertion of the coughing. "Yer warm..." He let out a low breath and went still, just breathing. Wade was a warm, solid presence against his side, and he felt more relaxed than he had in days.

  
He could hear the faint sputtering from the merc, and grunted faintly. "S'down, Wade. Get c'mfy..."

  
He yawned beneath the Spiderman mask, and then frowned, his nose crinkling...

  
_**"KER-CHOO!"** _

  
"Ooo, that didn't sound good. And I'll bet that was gross with your mask on. Here, I'll wash it!"

  
Peter squeaked, his fingers latching onto the edge of the mask. This made Deadpool laugh, and the merc shook his head a little. "I'm not gonna look, Spidey. You can wear one of my old ones while it dries, okay? And I promise I won't look while you switch them out and get your face cleaned up - Super Bro Code." He carefully put Peter down on the couch, and ran off to get said old mask as well as a wet handkerchief for him to clean up his face.

  
He put them both on Peter's lap, and then grinned before turning around. "Don't worry, it's a clean one, I promise. Go ahead!"

  
There was a moment where Peter just blinked curiously at the merc's wide back, but then slowly he looked down at the mask in his lap. It was a soft fabric, and Peter couldn't help but smile softly as he carefully pet his thumbs over it. One more glance at Wade, and then Peter pulled the Spiderman mask off, picking up the handkerchief and cleaning up his face.

  
The mask was soft against his skin, and smelled faintly of Wade. Peter smiled as he got it settled, and had a moment of indecision before keeping it rolled up over his nose. "Okay, Wade, I'm changed."

  
He heard a faint giggle. "Ooo, did you put on something sexy?" he asked teasingly, turning around and then wiggling. "You _did!_ It looks awesome baby boy, you should wear it more often."

  
Peter's cheeks pinked a little, and he started to push himself to his feet, intent on going to wash out the Spiderman mask. He was immediately pushed back down on the couch and the merc wagged a finger in his face. "Ah, ah, ah! You sit right here and rest, Spidey, I'll take care of you!"

  
He took the mask from Peter's surprised fingers, bouncing away to the sink and starting to give it a good scrub, humming happily to himself as he did. The whistle of the kettle made him stop, going to fill up the teacup and taking it to Peter. "This will help your throat. I promise I'll make sure that you're up and going again in no time!"

As he went back to the sink and set the mask out along the counter to dry, he grinned, looking over his shoulder at Peter. "I'll bet you're hungry! I'll make you soup - soup always does the trick to get sick people back on their feet. I've even got all the stuff for homemade chicken noodle, I don't normally have that. See, you are a good influence on me, baby boy, making me have all this healthy stuff in my house. You just sit tight and get comfy, I'll get cooking!" He started to pull out ingredients, and then threw up his hands. 

"WAIT! I NEED MY **_APRON!"_**

And really, Peter shouldn't have been surprised to see that said apron was pink and frilly. It somehow suited the merc, even on top of the red sweater.

Carefully pulling the blankets around his shoulders, Peter cradled the hot tea between his hands as he watched Wade whistle as he started to get things cooking on the stove. It all suddenly felt very domestic.

  
.... And Peter kind of liked that idea. Him and Wade together, washing the dishes, making dinner together... sharing a cup of tea.

  
Wow. Okay.

  
Apparently he was attracted to Wade.

  
That was the news of the year.


	3. In Which Peter Gets Up Close and Personal with a Knife (And Wade Shows Off His Sewing Skills)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Having so much fun with this fic!! Some blood in this chapter, as well as a mention of possible rape (Peter stops a couple of potential rapists, nothing big)

While that particular night had brought the realization of a lifetime, Peter had moved on as best he could. He couldn't help but fantasize a bit about the merc and a life with him, but at the same time he knew better. Wade wasn't exactly... prime relationship material, at least by what he could tell. Peter wasn't even really sure if he would want to be in a relationship with him.

  
Don't get him wrong, he knew very well that Deadpool was attracted to him. He certainly flirted enough, and was almost always staring at him and commenting about his 'amazing butt.' Even with this evidence, though, what proof did Peter have that he would actually be interested in pursuing a relationship with Spiderman?

  
He supposed that he would have to reveal his identity for them to really go anywhere...

  
The young superhero sighed, shaking his head. Time sometimes flew by, and it had now been nearly a month since that night at Wade's apartment, sniffling and coughing while cradled against Deadpool's side. After he'd finished the soup he'd sat quietly next to Peter while he ate, and then watched TV with him for a few hours until he'd felt up to returning home. Despite their starting out sitting normally, within a half hour after finishing his soup Peter had ended up leaning against his shoulder. Wade hadn't said a word, and they'd spent the few hours talking and laughing over whatever was on the TV.

  
Peter had loved it, every moment, and had felt warm and satisfied by the time that he'd left. He wanted more nights like that.

  
In the month since that night, Peter hadn't seen Wade much - he'd gone back to his apartment several times, but he wasn't always there. The past two weeks he'd been missing altogether, and Peter was beginning to think that he was away on a job of some sort.

  
No matter... he didn't have to see him all the time. Even if he wanted to.

  
Shaking his head to get the image of the merc out of his thoughts, Peter turned his attention back to the city below him. He was crouched on the corner of a building, fingertips resting lightly on the concrete to keep him balanced as he leaned forward a little. It was a quiet evening - he'd stopped a mugger earlier, but that was the most action he'd had all night. Perhaps it was time to go home, have some rest...

  
Just as he was thinking that, he heard a scream from an alley not far away. Standing, the young hero stretched his arms over his head, and then let himself fall forward in a swan dive, shooting out a web a moment later to catch him. He loved swinging - even when it was in pursuit of a criminal like he was at the moment, nothing beat flying through the air like this.

  
He came around the corner to see a man with a knife cornering a woman against the wall, hissing at her to shut up and strip. Peter's eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth in disgust behind the mask - of all the people he stopped on a regular basis, rapists were definitely his most hated.

  
A quick web caught the man's arm as he brandished the knife, yanking it backwards and pulling him off balance. He fell with a shout, and Peter landed next to the terrified woman, straightening and turning to her. "Are you alright, Miss?" he asked kindly.

  
"Spiderman!" she gasped out, her voice shaky and tears visible on her face. "Oh thank God! Thank you, thank you so much!"

  
He shook his head. "Just doing my job. If you'll give me a moment, I'd be happy to walk you home." He shot a web over his shoulder as he said this, hitting the man in the face, covering his eyes. A smirk moved over Peter's face as he heard the surprised wail from the assailant, and he had to fight back the giggle.

  
The woman nodded, her hands shaking even as she had to hide a giggle of her own at the sight of her would-be attacker bumbling around trying to get the webbing off his face.

  
Turning, Peter walked towards the rapist calmly, his arms folded over his chest. "Now then, what am I going to do with you?" He had to duck sideways as the man swung the knife blindly, trying to hit him. "Tsk, tsk, you shouldn't play with sharp objects." Another well-placed web, and the man yelled when the knife was knocked from his hand.

  
A moment later the man was wrapped up and wriggling, and Peter mimed dusting his hands off before turning back towards the woman, smiling at her beneath the mask. He'd found over the years that even if a smile couldn't be seen, more often than not it could be heard. "Are you alright now, Miss?"

  
She nodded, smiling at him. "Thank you so much. I don't know what I would have done..." Her scream of warning sounded at exactly the moment the tingle of his Spider Sense raced up his spine, and he turned, an arm flying up to defend her.

  
Pain ripped through his arm, and he let out a shout, throwing a punch with his normally restrained strength in response. He hit the attacker's arm, and only just pulled his strength fast enough not to break the bone, only cause him to shout and drop the knife. Ignoring the throbbing agony in his arm, he quickly webbed up the man, panting faintly. "Second one, hiding in the back alley. Not expected, way to go on originality."

  
At least his snark wasn't broken, he supposed. His arm was going to need looking at though.

  
"Spiderman, are you alright?!" the woman asked, rushing forward. Peter could see the fear in her gaze, and smiled again at her.

  
"I'll be fine. Let's go ahead and call the cops, alright?" She nodded and pulled out her cellphone, and Peter waited only long enough to hear the sirens headed in their direction before he gave her a wave and shot a web up to the roof, cradling his injured arm against his stomach. She was safe now, and that was what mattered, but now he needed to get himself some medical care.

  
The knife had gone deep, ripping open a gash in his forearm that went nearly from his wrist back to his elbow, stopping only a few inches shy. He was uncertain if it had scraped bone, but it was bleeding pretty fiercely, though not enough to indicate that a vital artery had been severed. He'd moved fast enough to save the woman, who would have gotten a knife to the face if he hadn't put his arm in the way. A small price to pay, in his opinion.

  
At first he was intent on returning home, but as he swung he was starting to get a little woozy, and so looked for a closer target. To his surprise, he recognized the building that he'd just swung past - one more swing and he was hitting the wall just beneath Deadpool's apartment window.

  
Geez, at this rate he was practically here every moment. Was he being drawn here, or something?

  
He poked his head up over the windowsill, and to his surprise could see a form sprawled out in the comfy chair in the light of the TV. Wade was home! Knowing better than to just go barging in, seeing that it appeared that Wade was sleeping, he knocked lightly on the window.

  
The still form jerked upright, and Peter had to duck a little instinctively at the sight of the gleaming barrel of a gun aimed his direction. It disappeared a moment later, along with a squeal of 'Baby boy!' and then Wade was running to the window, throwing it open with a wide grin beneath his mask.

  
"Spidey-baby! I haven't seen you in forever! How did you know I was getting back into town tonight, I was just thinking about... whoa, where did that come from?! Get in here, you're bleeding!" Deadpool transitioned smoothly from happy words about his arrival into concern for the blood he could see, and Peter was hauled into the apartment a moment later, sat on the couch, and found himself blinking in the overhead light that was turned on.

  
"Hello to you too, Wade." he said, amusement in his tone even as Wade began to inspect the wound on his arm.

  
"This is nasty." Deadpool commented absently, pulling at Peter's glove and rolling up his sleeve carefully. The young man didn't bother to stop him, only hissing faintly at the edges of the suit's sleeve pulling at the wound when it was rolled up. "Must have really got the drop on you, this is deep. Hang on, I've got a kit in the bathroom. Never really been used, even, so I've got all the good stuff!"

  
Peter watched him go, marveling at how serious he suddenly was. Most of the time Wade bounced between serious words and joking in moments, hardly spending a minute in either state before returning to the other. This was the longest he'd seen him be serious since he'd really started spending time with him. It must have been the injury, he supposed.

  
Deadpool returned a moment later, putting a positively huge first aid kit on the coffee table before sitting beside it, carefully pulling Peter's arm into his lap. He talked as he worked, babbling on about where he'd been and how he'd missed seeing Peter every other night for food, about how he'd wondered if he'd eaten and how happy he'd been to see obvious signs that the food had been used when he'd returned. Peter listened quietly the entire time, recognizing what the merc was doing right away, and feeling a swell of warmth in his chest because of it. Wade was doing what he could to distract him while he cleaned and dressed the wound.

  
The sight of the merc threading a needle made him blanch faintly, and he turned his head away when Wade took his arm into his lap, his hand clenching a little. "You gotta relax, baby boy." Wade said, and Peter looked towards him in surprise. There was a smile visible beneath the Deadpool mask, and he nodded. "Relax, there you go. If you're tense it'll hurt more. I know it sucks, but tense other parts. Just not this arm. I'll be quick!"

  
And he was off again on the babbling, while Peter hissed through his teeth, doing his best to follow Wade's advice. The drone of his voice in the background gave him something to focus on, and before he knew it he heard the snip of scissors and Wade chirped "Done!"

  
Peter looked back down to see the line of neat, tight stitches along his arm, sealing up the wound nicely. "You're really good at this." he commented absently, wiggling his tingling fingers slightly as Wade smeared some sort of ointment along the gash before starting to wrap bandages around his arm.

  
"Wasn't always the master healer than I am now." Deadpool told him with a grin. "When I was learning my swords I was always cutting myself. I learned pretty quick, since it would have been a huge pain to always be going to the doctors. Then there was the special forces, and all..." He shrugged slightly, not realizing that Peter had soaked up every bit of information he'd just been given. "How's it feeling?"

  
"Huh?" Peter asked, startling a little. He'd been so absorbed in listening to the information about Wade's past that he'd started to zone a little. "Oh! It's great, thanks. Hardly even hurts anymore. I heal pretty quick - not on level with you, of course, but it should be pretty well sealed in a few days."

  
"Cool! Make sure you come by in a few days, I'll cut out the stitches for you." Wade grinned at him, and settled back.

  
It was then that Peter realized how close they were sitting - the coffee table was hardly more than a foot away from the front of the couch, and Wade was sitting on the edge, their knees touching. Wade's right knee was on the outside of Peter's left, the merc's left between Peter's legs. Another inch forward and there would be knees touching sensitive bits on both sides.

  
The young hero tensed a little, eyes running back up Wade's flat, toned stomach and bulging pecs, blinking widely behind the lenses of the Spiderman mask as he met his gaze. "Um. Thanks. Yeah, I... I was gonna go home, I swear, but then I was starting to get a little loopy and it was probably a bad idea to swing like that, and then I just saw your building, I didn't even know you were home, and..."

  
He was cut off as Wade giggled, and swallowed thickly. "You're rambling, baby boy." Wade put in brightly, wiggling his knees a little and hitting Peter's in the process. "That's adorable. And don't worry, I said that you were always welcome here and I meant it. Besides, that would have been a nasty thing to stitch up on your own. You don't have to thank me for anything."

  
Peter shook his head. "Yeah, I do." He hesitated only a moment, and then, decision made, he went for it. Quick as he could, he raised his good hand, yanked his mask to his nose, and then leaned forward, pressing a kiss against the thin, soft fabric of Wade's mask, right over the merc's mouth. He could feel the slight gasp of the lips beneath his, the slight parting, and then he was pulling back, smiling.

  
"Thanks." he said softly again, and then he planted his good hand against the couch, pulled himself up and away from the merc's body, flipped over the back of the couch, and was jumping out the window before Wade could even gather his thoughts.

  
So yeah.

  
He'd stopped a mugger, two potential rapists, had his arm sliced open and subsequently sewn shut, and he'd kissed Deadpool.

  
Talk about a fun night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I did that little skirmish justice. I've never been good at action sequences, I swear.


	4. In Which Peter Can't Catch a Break (But Wade Can)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like this chapter - it fought me a little.

Peter proceeded to avoid Deadpool for the next two weeks.

  
It would have been longer, but the merc finally caught up with him. At first he'd been a mixture of angry and worried - he'd demanded to see Peter's arm, and then relaxed when the younger man sputtered out that he'd gone to the Tower and gotten the stitches removed by a helpful Doctor Banner.

  
Wade glared at him for a moment, his arms crossed over his muscular chest (that Peter was _so_ not staring at) and then grinned visibly, relaxing. "That's good! Now where the hell have you been, baby boy?! You can't do something that and then disappear!"

  
Peter rubbed at the back of his neck awkwardly, shrugging one shoulder. "Sorry Wade, I just... I don't know."

  
The taller man scoffed. "You don't know?! You kissed me! Actually, you know, it wasn't even a proper kiss, I felt cheated. There was mask in the way. Though I suppose you probably don't want to kiss what's under it, so..."

  
He faded off, and Peter frowned at him behind his own mask, folding his arms over his chest. "Hey, you can't say stuff like that. I get to decide what I want to kiss, thank you very much. I just... didn't think you'd appreciate me touching your mask, that's all."

  
"Spidey, if you're planning on using those pretty lips of yours, you can touch _whatever_ part of my suit you want."

  
Peter was glad of his mask at this moment - Deadpool wouldn't be able to see the brilliantly red blush that flared across his face and neck. He turned away from the merc, and had to hide the giggle when he immediately began to sputter in response.

  
"I'm sorry, was that too much?! Bad Deadpool, _bad_ , don't go, Spidey-baby!" A grunt left Peter as he immediately had a muscled merc flopped over his shoulders, Wade's cheek rubbing against his in a slide of fabric. "I'm sorry, I won't do it again!"

  
"It's fine, Wade." Peter chuckled, putting up a hand and pushing Deadpool off with a hand on his face. "But no draping, it gets uncomfortable. Now what are you doing out here again besides hunting me down?"

  
One finger went in the air and Peter could see Wade's mouth open in preparation to respond as he turned to look at him, but he closed it a moment later, the hand falling back to his side. "Yeah, that was it." Deadpool chirped, grinning a moment later, his hands on his hips as he struck a pose. "And I did it! Took two weeks, but I tracked you down!"

  
Peter laughed. "Yeah, you did."

  
Suddenly Wade went serious again, his eyes narrowing. "What have you been eating? You _have_ been, right?"

  
The younger blinked behind his mask, and his hands went up in a surrender pose. "Hey now, I've been eating! I promise! I don't always need to get food at your place, Wade!"

  
"Don't care, we're going for tacos!" the merc practically screeched, throwing his hands in the air before running closer to Peter, his arms outstretched as though to hug him.

  
The suddenness of his advance, combined with the fact that he'd spent the last few hours being chased through the city by a determined mercenary had Peter's Spider Sense pinging up his spine. Before he'd even thought about it he'd jumped, landing on hands and feet on the side of the nearby building. He blinked widely behind the lenses of the mask, and then grinned when Wade proceeded to pout.

  
"Oh come on, I was just going to hug you! Although that was cool, it was like watching one of those old cartoons where the dog sneaks up and scares the cat onto the ceiling. I wanna try that! Would you stick to the ceiling if I scared you, Spidey?" Deadpool babbled, coming closer and grinning up at him.

  
"Tacos, Wade?" Peter prompted, and laughed when the merc gasped in response, his hands slapping to his cheeks Macaulay Culkin style.

  
"How could I _FORGET_?!" he yelled. "Come on, Spidey, I know this great place a few streets over, and we can get take out and stuff! Remember those tacos I gave you last time?! Although that might not be too great, considering their return trip..."

  
"That's fine, Wade, tacos sound great." Peter replied soothingly, releasing his hold on the wall and dropping to his feet next to the merc. "How far are we talking - should we just walk?"

  
Wade nodded so fast that Peter thought his head might fall off. "Walking is good! There's hardly anyone out right now anyway, so no one's gonna bother us. Come on, Spidey, the tacos are waiting!"

  
***********  
The night became even more strange from there on out, in Peter's opinion. The tacos were great, and he was glad that they got them despite the stares they got as they wandered to the shop through the streets. Luckily not many people asked questions in New York - they got stares, but no one said anything.

  
Though they did get a few looks when, after getting the bags containing their food, Spiderman proceeded to put an arm around Deadpool's waist and shoot a web up onto the building before pulling them out of sight.

  
It hadn't help that Deadpool had squealed in excitement, popped a foot into the air like a girl getting her first kiss, and tittered happily the whole way up.

  
They sat on the nearby roof and ate their tacos, Peter mostly listening to the merc chat away about whatever tickled his fancy. It was mostly disconnected random things, but every now and then he'd get on a tangent and get going. Peter put in comments as appropriate, but truly he was just having a good time listening to Wade talk.

  
He'd be lying if he said that he didn't take the time to admire him either. Safe behind the lenses of his mask, he let his gaze wander over the curves of muscle, the strong jaw, and attractive slope of his back. If Deadpool noticed this, he said nothing about it.

  
He did, however, continue to try and steal hugs and kisses. Peter found this to be funny more than anything else, and continued to dodge each one, if only because he was having more fun this way. It was hilarious until one dodged kiss ended up with Wade falling off the roof they were sitting on, only getting saved from eating pavement by a well placed web that stopped his fall.

  
The merc was giggling by the time Peter had let him drop gently to the ground and joined him, concern on his features. "That was awesome! Let's go again!" Wade bounced in the alley in front of him, and Peter couldn't help the startled laugh that escaped him - he'd been worried, considering what had happened last time he'd caught someone like that.

  
....Let's not talk about that.

  
"This has been fun, Wade." Peter said when Deadpool finally settled and just stood in front of him. "I am sorry about the avoiding thing, I guess I just... needed some time."

  
"Oh, that's okay, baby boy. I can understand that sometimes it gets too loud and you need some time to just be blank, you know?" Wade replied with a grin, still visible due to his raised mask. "Though I do that with a gun, but you know."

  
Peter frowned - he didn't like the idea of Wade hurting himself like that. Before he could say anything, though, a tingle raced up his spine, followed shortly by a scream. He tugged his mask down and ran to the mouth of the alley, looking around for the source of the scream.

  
The sight of the man dressed in rather nasty looking brown and grey clothes was a surprise. He couldn't even tell what he was wearing, really, it just looked... frumpy. The copious amounts of smoke around him, though, that was a problem. It seemed to be coming from some sort of machine that he had wrapped around his torso and shoulders.

  
"New York will come to fear the Smoker!"

  
"Seriously?" Peter looked to his side, and chuckled when he saw the rather nonplussed look on Wade's now fully-masked face. "The Smoker? That's the best you could come up with? Go back to where you're wanted, there's a flock of smokers down there, I'm sure." Deadpool flapped a hand in the direction of the nearest bar, and Peter giggled.

  
The wanna-be villian bristled at that, his hands rising as his mouth opened. Not caring to hear whatever it was he was about to spout - no doubt something about how they would 'all regret mocking the great SMOKER!' - Peter shot a bit of web over said mouth. The man promptly choked, and Deadpool let out a barking laugh.

  
"Nice shot, Spidey-babe. That's what you get for ruining our awesome night!" he yelled, shaking a fist at the man.

  
Whatever else they might have said or done was cut off as a cloud of noxious, thick smoke blasted their way. Both immediately started coughing, and Peter swore as his vision went all wonky and dizziness assaulted him. He stumbled backwards, doing his best to get out of the smoke, and raised a hand to shoot a web towards the nearby building.

  
As soon as he felt the tense line in his hand he pulled, yanking himself up and out of the cloud. He stuck to the building about 15 feet off the ground, coughing and shaking his head to try and clear it. His vision was still off, and he could feel a pounding in his head that was concerning. What sort of smoke was that? Was there poison involved?

  
He could hear Deadpool coughing from somewhere below him, and did his best to locate him so he could pull him out, but the dizziness prevented him from really seeing straight. Luckily the cloud was beginning to dissipate on its own, and Peter groaned as he heard the so-called 'Smoker' start spouting off again.

  
"Oh come on!" Peter groaned, shaking his head. "Don't I ever get a break?! I don't want to deal with ridiculous small-time crooks like this!"

  
"You really do have ridiculous villians, baby boy." Deadpool added from his position against the wall below Spiderman, looking up at him. "And lots of animals going on. Seriously, you should start a zoo with all your villians. Though this one doesn't fit, let's get rid of him, hmm?"

  
Peter frowned, his eyes narrowing. "No killing." he said immediately, crawling down the wall a little before dropping next to Wade. "At all. Or maiming."

  
"Awwww!" Deadpool wailed, pouting and slumping. "You take all the fun out of it! But I guess, since it is you asking."

  
Peter nodded firmly. "Good. Now I'm pretty sure all we have to do is get that thing away from him, and we'll be good."

  
"You don't have to ask me twice!" Wade chirped, and he was off and running. Peter shook his head fondly, leaping into action as well.

  
Between the two of them, it didn't take much to subdue the man. It was a fight that lasted less than a minute - Wade rushing forward startled the ridiculous man, and he fumbled with the trigger for his little machine. A web to the hand, and then Deadpool was there, unhooking the machine with deft fingers before pulling it aside.

  
Once the wanna-be crook was webbed up nice and tight, Peter left him dangling for the cops to fetch, considering they were already on their way based on the sirens he could hear, before walking back into the alley with Deadpool, who was pouting. "That wasn't even a challenge. You didn't have to warn me at all - that lasted for all of two seconds. I was hoping we could at least have a little bit of fun!"

  
Peter laughed. "Well, he did manage to somewhat get the drop on us. That smoke wasn't fun. I'm gonna have a headache all night now, I know it. And smell like I've rolled in cigarette butts or something."

  
"Oooo, butts." Wade grinned, his hands rising and making grabby motions. "Come here, baby boy, you have a butt I'd like to roll in for a while."

  
He lunged, and Peter shot into the sky a second later, a web hauling him up to the closest fire escape. "That didn't even make sense, Wade!" he called, laughing when the merc pouted.

  
"Don't I even get a break?!" Deadpool yelled at him, folding his arms over his chest like a petulant child. The echo of his earlier words made Peter smile, and after a moment he hummed, sliding back down the web in a classic Spiderman pose, upside down with his feet and hands still on his web.

  
He stopped hanging in front of the merc, grinning at him behind the mask. "I don't know, can you?" he teased, and he could almost see the wheels turning in Wade's head. "Here, I'll give you a hint." Releasing one hand off the web, he hooked a thumb under his mask and raised it to his nose.

  
Deadpool paused, blinked, and then squealed. _"Spiderman kiss!"_ His mask was up over his nose a moment later, and Peter barely had a moment to prepare himself for what he'd gotten into before their lips were together.

  
It was a tad awkward - chin against nose, and lips not quite lining up, but after a moment things just... fell into place. Wade's hands cupped his cheeks, and the merc tilted his head just right, their lips slotting together perfectly. Peter moaned faintly despite himself, opening his mouth a little beneath the touch.

  
Wade's lips were warm, dry, and rough to the touch, and it felt amazing. Peter couldn't help a shiver through his body as he felt teeth against his bottom lip, and he pulled back slowly, grinning as he saw the slightly parted lips and felt panting breath against his mouth.

  
"Wow, baby boy." Deadpool murmured, and Peter grinned again, hand readying to shoot a web up to the building.

  
"My name is Peter."

  
And then his webs were hauling him up and over the building, and he laughed as he heard Deadpool's loud _"OH COME ON!! YOU CAN'T LEAVE AGAIN!"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES I PURPOSELY MADE THAT VILLAIN AS RIDICULOUS AS POSSIBLE. At first I wanted to make him legitimate, and was researching stuff (hence the concentrated nicotine cloud, which is what the smoke is) but then a friend of mine was like 'you're doing a Spiderman villain, shouldn't he be ridiculous.' 
> 
> And thus - The Smoker. 
> 
> Also, sorry that the fight was a little... lackluster. I did warn you that I suck somewhat at fight scenes. Besides, we all wanted to get to the kiss a little faster :D
> 
> I hope you guys enjoyed!


	5. In Which Peter Needs a Kiss (And Wade Doesn't Want This Kind of Kiss)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Drowning, child in peril, probably inaccurate facts concerning ships and sinking. (I made it work. Shhh)
> 
> {White}  
> [Yellow]
> 
> That's right, we get some Wade POV in this chapter!

Peter didn't... _quite_ avoid Deadpool after this.

  
Not on purpose, anyway. He just didn't see the merc for almost 3 weeks after that rather spectacular kiss. Peter had never thought about kissing someone like that before, but based on the content of his dreams the last few weeks, it was quickly becoming one of his favorite things.

  
Since he didn't necessarily _want_ to avoid Wade, he did actually go by the mercenary's apartment a few times in the following days, he just never saw him there. Either Wade was out on a job again, or he had extremely crappy timing. He wasn't sure which of these were more likely, so he just continued to stop by.

  
When he realized that the fridge hadn't been stocked since the last time he'd been there, that was a pretty good indicator that Deadpool was out on a job. Content knowing that at least he wasn't being avoided in return, he made it his mission to go through the perishables in the fridge and continued visiting every other day to eat. He knew that would make Wade happy, if nothing else.

  
He still was a little surprised at himself, even all those days later, at the fact that he'd told Wade his name. Not that he hadn't been thinking about it for a while - it had been floating through his mind ever since the stitching of his arm - but still... he hadn't really decided to tell the merc. It had just slipped out.

  
Even with the surprise, he wasn't really regretting the decision. He wanted Wade to know him, to know who he was. He was even ready (he thought) to show his face.

  
After all, once you've made out with a person, it's _probably_ about time that they know what you look like. And that little fangirl part of Peter was really hoping that his revealing his face would result in Wade doing the same, even though he was pretty positive that it wasn't going to happen. Deadpool might like him and be comfortable enough with revealing his chin to eat, but there had been no signs that he was willing to show his entire face.

  
The young hero sighed, propping his chin on a hand as he sat on the top of his favorite perching building, his body in a slumped, comfortable position. He _did_ miss Wade, if he was honest, but he also wasn't sure what he was going to do when he saw him again. Their last encounter had been... steamy, as well as a touch awkward, if you looked at it too long, and while Peter was anxious to see Deadpool, he didn't know what was going to happen. He'd be lying if he said that didn't make him at least a little nervous.

  
Anxious for something to do, Peter pushed himself into a standing position and stretching over backwards into a handstand, stretching out his body with a few quick, easy positions that he quite liked. Feeling much more limber and warmer, he made his way back to the edge of the building, crouching down with his fingers lightly touching the concrete between his raised knees.

  
He did need to get moving... it was damn cold lately, given that they were rapidly approaching Christmas time, and the snow that coated everything didn't really help. The day was clear and bright, and that made it even colder. Peter shivered faintly, the thermals of his suit not doing much to help, and then decided to go for a swing.

  
What better way to spend a day off, hmm?

  
Making his way through the city was an activity that he didn't have to put much thought into - his body knew all the right moves and angles, and his Spider-Sense kept him from doing anything too stupid, so he just let himself enjoy the feeling of flying through the air, of stretching and contorting his body as he did, of just being Spiderman.

  
It was a feeling that never got old.

  
A tingle up his spine, and he was turning out towards the harbor, a bit confused, but not unwilling to follow his senses. Something was obviously going on out there, given the tingle, but he wasn't sure what. Spiders and water didn't mix, so he tended to avoid the docks as best he could, though sometimes crime pulled him out there.

  
It seemed that it wasn't a crime this time, but a crisis, and Peter swore faintly to himself as he landed on a flagpole, stuck to the side and observing for a moment.

  
Tourist boats ran regularly back and forth to Liberty Island, even during the cold winter months. There were times when they were shut down, of course, but today wasn't one of those days. This particular boat apparently needed to be retired, though, since it had sprung a leak and was now sinking. The rear of the boat (the stern, Peter's brain supplied) was already underwater, and while there were a few other boats close by, ferrying people to safety, there were clearly enough people on the doomed ship that they would need some help.

  
His webs would be pretty much useless from this point on - the boat was far enough out that he couldn't reach any of the buildings close to the water. He could certainly use them to pull them faster to the docks, but...

  
He swore again, and then jumped into action. Despite his dislike of water, there were still tourists on that boat, and he needed to get them off.

  
With his abilities, the leap from the flagpole took him to the end of the dock, where he attached a web to the highest point on the rescuing ship and reeled himself in with a careful jump over the water. A few people gasped, several in excitement and thanks, and he gave a faint, quick wave before executing a leap and flip over to the sinking ship.

  
"Come on, folks, we need to get moving or we're going to get our nice shoes wet, and trust me, this water isn't something you want to make friends with." he told the people that came closer to him, smiling beneath the mask. Most seemed more than willing to come with him, and he started to transfer people over to the rescuers that were hovering not far away. There had been coast guards on the sinking ship, but Peter had quickly ushered them off - he could pull himself to safety with webs should something go wrong - the other men and women, not so much.

  
There was a groan from the ship they were standing on, and Peter had to stick himself to the boards of the deck to stop from sliding. Several of the women began to scream, one attaching herself to Peter's waist as she realized that he wasn't going anywhere. He stood strong for her, not minding in the least to be an anchor.

  
This was rapidly becoming a 'panic-mode' save as opposed to an easy one. "Alright, double-time, let's go!" Peter called, gently detaching the woman from his waist and helping her into the waiting arms of one of the coast guard members.

  
Thankfully everyone appeared to be off - the decks were clear, and Peter grinned, just about ready to leap to the coast guard ship that was starting to prep to leave.

  
"Wait! WAIT! ! Kayla? _KAYLA_ , WHERE ARE YOU, BABY?! YOU SAID SHE WAS ALREADY HERE, _WHERE IS SHE?"_

  
**_Damn._ **

  
Peter looked towards the suddenly hysterical woman, and mentally sighed. Of _course_ there was someone missing. Spiderman can't get an easy day, no breaks for him. He shook his head sharply to focus himself, and then headed off into the ship, since there was clearly no one on the decks.

  
He had to focus as he went, his feet adhered to the surface of the deck as he went, given the slope of the ship. It was already halfway beneath the surface, and going down even faster as it filled with water. He didn't have much time.

  
He called out the missing girl's name as he went, and swore in surprise at the sweep of ice cold water over his feet. It wasn't until he heard a sniffle that he felt relief flood through him, and he tromped through the water to find the girl huddling on top of a deck box out of sight of the rescue operation, tears on her face and her legs tangled in the nets and things that were stored there.

  
"Got stuck." she sniffled, and Peter couldn't help but croon to her. She couldn't be much older than five, and was clearly terrified. "Tried to go."

  
"You're alright, sweetie, we're gonna get you out of here, okay?" he said with a smile. "Let's get your legs untangled, how does that sound?"

  
She nodded, and Peter went to work, glad that she seemed calm with his presence. Most children loved him, so it made this much easier. She had really gotten stuck - probably struggling and frightened, and just tangled herself even worse. At least she'd managed to get up on the box and out of the water - Peter's hands were shaking from the cold, and he had to hold in swears as he did his best to get her untangled as fast as he could.

  
_Damnit_ , where was Wade and his impressive collection of sharp things when you needed him?

  
By the time that he managed to get the net off her, the water was up to his waist and lapping at the top of the deck box. Kayla was crying, and Peter found himself getting her to sing little Disney songs with him, trying to keep her calm. His hands were trembling so hard it was difficult to get them to do anything, and his feet had long since gone numb, but he had to get her out.

  
"There we go, beautiful, all untangled." he crowed in pleasure as her shoe finally came free, gathering her up as she flung herself at him for a panicked hug. He did his best to steady the shivering in his voice, and started back towards the crying mother that he could still hear. At least the rescuers had stayed off the ship like he'd said.

  
The look on the woman's face was relief enough for Peter, and he smiled as he passed the crying little girl over. "Thank you, _thank you!"_ she was blubbering, and Peter gave her a slight salute before readying a web to pull him off the sinking ship.

  
A groan, a crack, a roar up his spine, and Peter's shout was lost in the water as the remnants of the net that had trapped the girl tightened around his ankle, yanking him beneath the waves. He thrashed, panic flaring. The freezing water choked him, and he quickly bent in half, shaking hands searching for the net that was tightening painfully around his leg.

  
Had to get it undone, _had to....!_

  
*******

  
"Ooo, a ship going down, let's watch!"

  
[Where do we keep the popcorn?!]

  
{Shouldn't we... I don't know, do something?}

  
"Where's the fun in that, besides, those coast guard people have it covered, it looks like everyone's already off the ship!"

  
{Well then, why are they still there?}

  
[And there's a screaming lady, she sounds kind of crazy.]

  
That was a little weird, Wade supposed, but he didn't care. He wasn't exactly a fan of water, and it was _damn ass_ cold right now, so he wasn't willing to jump in there. Like he'd said - everyone appeared to be off the boat. He'd just come back into town, he was tired, and what was wrong with a little entertainment before he made his way back to his place to crash for a few hours before going out to hunt down his delicious little Petey-pie?

  
He _still_ couldn't believe that he'd learned Spiderman's name! And it was Peter! Just as adorable as his little spider, and he couldn't wait to see him again! It had been torture to head off on a mission right away, but the money had been too damn good.

  
He definitely needed a make-out session after all that hard work though. He'd been gone almost a month! Surely that afforded him some heavy kissing. And groping. Maybe even stripping, he'd see how far he could push his luck.

  
_[SPIDEY!]_

  
Yellow's sudden screech made him jump, pulling out of his thoughts before blinking at the boat. Spidey? Was Peter out here?

  
He was on the sinking boat! And looking like a drowned rat too - Wade could see him shivering from here, but he was moving strong, carrying a scared looking little girl. Damn, if Wade had realized there was a child still on the boat, he would have jumped in, but it looked like Peter had things under control.

  
[Ooo, he's cold though, lookat 'im!]

  
{He's going to need some serious heat after being in that water. He might need help.}

  
"Well then, I guess we-"

  
Wade's words were cut off in a sharp gasp of surprise as Peter suddenly vanished beneath the water, clearly being pulled by something. The merc swore loudly and colorfully, leaping off the top of the pizza place he'd been on before dashing towards the docks. He didn't even pause, just swan-dived off the top rail and into the water.

  
_**[{HOLY MOTHER OF FUCK!}]** _

  
Wade would have echoed the boxes with a scream out loud if he wasn't underwater - this shit was **_DAMN ASS COLD._** No wonder Spidey had been shaking like a leaf.

  
Arms moving powerfully through the water, Wade swam as quickly as he could towards the boat. The bow was already on its way beneath the water as he arrived, so he simply swam past the railing and towards where he'd seen Peter go under. He ignored the screams of the people from the retreating coast guard boat - at least they weren't going to get dragged down by the sinking ship. The suction was causing him problems too, and he had to keep fighting to get a breath.

  
{Can't die now!}

  
[Petey, _get to Petey!_ ]

  
He located Peter a moment later, visible due to the flash of his brightly colored costume as he struggled. He was fighting with a net curled around his leg, which looked like it was digging into his flesh in a rather painful way. Pausing to take another deep breath, Wade dove beneath the water, not fighting the suction that wanted to drag him down.

  
Peter jumped when hands appeared near his, but Wade could almost see the relief on his little Spider's face when he realized it was him. He waved cheerily, and then popped a dagger from his boot before going at the netting. He couldn't get it between Peter's leg and the string without cutting him, so he instead found the ends trailing, deciding they could untangle it above water.

  
Spidey was thankfully holding still, though that didn't last long, and Wade had to duck a flailing limb a moment later.

  
[What the _hell_ , baby boy?! We're trying to save you!]

  
{He's drowning, you idiot.}

  
Wait... ** _drowning?_**

  
It was then that Wade realized there were bubbles trailing away from Spidey's mask, and that those flails were the body's last attempt to get away from the thing doing the drowning. Peter wasn't exactly thinking straight anymore, hence the struggles and unintentional kicks. Swearing mentally, the merc started to work faster, dodging another kick before taking one upside the head.

  
His world spun, and he floated, stunned, for a long, aggravating moment. Thankfully still maintaining enough mind to hold his breath, Wade came back to himself to realize that Peter had gone still in the water.

  
Sawing at the ropes, it took what felt like an eternity to get through them, and then Wade was kicking off the deck, swimming upwards as hard as he could, Spiderman's limp body tucked to his side. His lungs were burning, and he fought harder - he _couldn't_ drown now, he had to make it, or _Peter would die!_

  
He gasped as he hit open air, and immediately started to swim, his heart pounding in his chest. Peter wasn't moving against him, only being tugged along limply with each stroke of his body. A rope hit the water next to him, and he looked up to see people's panicked faces on the rescuing ship.

  
{Do it, we've got to get him on solid ground!}

  
[I don't think he's breathing...]

  
He coiled the rope around his forearm, and several men started tugging him closer. He didn't even care that it hurt, his world narrowed down to the slight body pressed to his side. The ship was already on the way back to shore, and by the time they'd hauled Deadpool and Spiderman up over the side, it was hitting the docks.

  
Wade didn't spare anyone a moment, ignoring them completely as he laid Spidey out on the deck, not noticing as they gathered around a circle of silent, frightened people just far enough back that he had the space to do what he needed. A medic was moving through the crowd, but Wade ignored the man, instead laying his ear to Peter's chest.

  
He could hear a faint heartbeat, but the young hero clearly wasn't breathing. He carefully tugged up Peter's mask, followed by his own, and began CPR with steady hands, despite the trembling that the rest of his body was doing.

  
He didn't think he'd ever been so frightened in his entire life.

  
Losing himself in the counting, Wade continued to pump Peter's chest, sealing his lips over Spidey's to breathe twice before continuing. Of all the ways to get a kiss, this was not the one that he'd imagined or wanted. Even the boxes were scarily silent.

  
"Come on." he ground out as he pressed on the red-clad chest. " _Come on_ , Spidey. Breathe."

  
Peter's head was moving limply with each powerful press of his hands, and Wade's heart was beating so fast he thought it might pop out of his chest. He had never seen Peter so still - even when he slept he was shifting, moving, muttering... he was _life_ , movement.

  
He looked _dead_ \- skin paper white, lips blue...

  
A part of Wade was glad that he couldn't see the rest of his face. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to continue if he could.

  
A paramedic was suddenly there, pressing a mask over Peter's face and taking over the breathing portion. Wade tensed, but did nothing to protest, his focus going back to Peter and the trembling, fading heart that he could feel beneath his hands.

  
_"Breathe."_ Wade panted out, the word becoming a mantra. "Breathe, baby boy."

  
It felt like an eternity later when Peter's body convulsed beneath his hands, the medic drew back, and they turned him on his side just as he vomited up water. A gasp ran through the crowd, followed by cheering, but Wade didn't care, didn't hear them.

  
_[WE DID IT!]_

  
_{HE'S ALIVE!}_

  
Spidey was breathing like he'd run a marathon, and shaking so hard he could hardly sit up, but he was **_breathing_** , and Wade found that he was shaking too, helping the paramedic to sit him up and wrap him in a thick blanket. Peter was saying something, his lips trembling and so, so blue, and Wade had to lean close to hear what it was.

  
"...the girl... 'ayla... girl..."

  
Wade couldn't help the laugh. "She's fine, Spidey. You got her out."

  
"She's right here, Spiderman." That must have been the girl's mother, cradling her daughter with tears running down her face. "I can never... _never_ repay you. Thank you."

  
Satisfied with that, Peter went limp in Wade's arms, and the merc had to take a moment to be sure that he was still alright. He was breathing, just no doubt exhausted, scared, and in shock. "I'll take it from here." he said to the paramedic, hoisting Peter into his arms and standing.

  
"W- _What_? You... you were both in the water, we _need_ to get you dry and warmed up, he'd been through a trauma...!" the man sputtered, and Wade laughed, his grin visible due to his raised mask.

  
"Thanks for the help, man, but I got this. Later!" A shift of Peter's weight into one arm, and he'd pressed his belt with the other, teleporting away.

  
{Well that was convienent. Shouldn't the water have broken that?}

  
[No way, it's always there to be a convienent plot device. Just deal with it!]

  
********

  
Peter woke slowly, feeling like he was crawling through mud.

  
Freezing mud, _damn_. He didn't think he'd ever felt this cold, but thankfully there was this amazing, blazing hot thing pressed against him, and he burrowed closer, burying his face against a rough, warm surface.

  
A surface that chuckled.

  
He blinked open his eyes, and realized that there was a towel over his head and face, a slightly damp one. He raised a hand to bat at it, fingers trembling, and jumped when a rough hand grabbed at his.

  
"Whoa there, Petey-pie, you don't have your mask on."

  
"W-Wade?" Peter asked, going still in his grip, trusting him. "You took my mask off?"

  
Another chuckle from the surface he was laying against. "Took off more than that sweet-cheeks. You were soaked through, I had to get that costume off you. I promise that I didn't look more than necessary, and you've got dry boxers on now. Hope you don't mind - they're some of mine. And I closed my eyes when I took the mask off, I promise. Hence the towel - dried your hair and kept your face a secret! Don't want to ruin the big reveal."

  
Peter absorbed all this information for a while, his brain feeling sluggish and slow. Wade hadn't been there - he remembered wanting him to be when he'd been untangling the little girl.

  
**_The girl!_ **

  
"Kayla! Is she...!"

  
"She's fine, Spidey, honest. You asked that on the boat too, first words out of your mouth. You got her out just fine - _you_ were the one that almost died. I had to do CPR for almost five minutes." Wade replied, his voice low and soothing.

  
Peter relaxed against the merc, and then frowned. "You weren't there."

  
"Showed up just in time to see you save her and then get pulled under. Lucky thing, too - don't think anyone else would have gotten to you in time."

  
"Oh." Peter replied, blinking. "Oh. That's good."

  
Silence.

  
"...Wade? Are you naked?"

  
"Nah. I got boxers on, same as you. But you needed body heat, baby boy - your lips were turning purple by the time I got you here. Cranked up the heat, stripped us both down, and cuddled up." His hand was raised, and he could almost feel Wade inspecting it. "Your fingers aren't blue anymore, that's good. Just... be glad it's a good day. I know this isn't the best thing to wake up to. I tried to get blankets between us, but it just didn't seem to work."

  
Peter was quiet for a moment, and then slowly snuggled closer, his hand pulling away from Wade's to land against what felt like the merc's side. He felt the flinch of the muscular body, but Wade didn't pull away, and so Peter contented himself with gently exploring with his fingers. Wade's skin was rough, textured, just like his lips and chin, and Peter gently touched each scar and dip curiously, with no disgust at all.

  
He was attracted to Wade, bad skin and all, so this was only a step that he'd been looking forward to, not the disgusting thing that Wade seemed to think it was. "I like it." Peter said softly after a moment, his hand resting flat against Wade's back, fingers petting up the dip between his muscles that was his spine. "Feels good."

  
The towel was really starting to bug him though.

  
Well, now seemed like a good time. It's amazing how almost dying could help a person get their priorities straight, and Peter knew that he wanted Wade to know who he was, and to be with the merc that had done so much for him over the past months and years, to give this a try.

  
A wriggle, and Peter got his other hand free, reaching up to grab the towel. He ignored Wade's sputter of _'wait!'_ and pulled it up and off, tossing it aside, and then looked up to meet the merc's gaze.

  
Disappointment flared when he encountered the Deadpool mask instead of Wade's bare face, but the surprise that he could see sort of made up for it. Wade was silent, which was odd for him, and Peter made a soft sound as he felt trembling fingers against his cheek.

  
"Wow..." Wade whispered softly. "I knew... I _guessed_ you were cute, but... _damn_ , baby boy, you're **_gorgeous."_**

  
Peter's cheeks pinked, and he ducked his head, pressing his cheek into Wade's hand at the same time. "You saved my life, Wade, I think you've earned this." he said softly, smiling up at him. Wade's thumb petted over his cheek bone, and Peter made a low sort of purring sound in pleasure, pressing into it a little harder. "It would be... good to really meet you properly."

  
This made Wade jumped a little in suprise, and he looked away a moment later, the frown clear beneath his mask. "You... you're _beautiful_ , Petey, you don't wanna see this ugly mug. This is bad enough." He gestured somewhat to his bare body, and Peter scoffed before reaching up to trail his fingers along Wade's cheeks.

  
"I've wanted to see your face for a long time." he said firmly. "And you're _not_ going to change my mind. I just nearly died, haven't I earned it?" he asked, pleading a little. "I like you Wade, and I promise you this won't change _**anything."**_

  
"...You promise?" Wade asked, and Peter was more than a little shocked at the suddenly small tone from the normally confident merc. "I don't... I don't want to _lose_ you, Petey. Almost did that today, and I don't think I could handle it again."

  
Peter crooned again, and his hands slowly trailed down Wade's cheeks to the edge of the mask against his throat, thumbs slipping beneath the fabric. Wade tensed, but didn't protest, and they hovered there for a moment, just watching each other. Peter wanted to, but he wouldn't move forward until Wade gave him the go-ahead.

  
A long moment, and then Wade nodded, quick and sharp. Peter smiled, leaning up to press a kiss to the masked chin, and then slowly started to raise the mask. He went slow and careful, and paused for a moment when Wade's mouth was visible, pressing a kiss to his lips. The merc let out a low, shaky breath into his kiss, his lips parting, and then Peter pulled the mask the rest of the way off.

  
As expected, Wade's rough, scarred skin continued up, and Peter let his gaze wander over a bald head, hairless eyebrows, and a tense, upset expression. He cupped Wade's face in both hands, looking him over, and then smiled, thumb passing gently beneath the merc's eye. "You were hiding those pretty blue eyes under there." he said softly. "I'm disappointed that I didn't get to see them sooner."

  
Then Wade finally met his gaze, and he smiled. "Hey, handsome." he murmured, hand shifting to pet his thumb over Wade's lower lip. "You saved my life today."

  
"Least I could do." Wade murmured, his breath warm against Peter's thumb, skin whispering across it as he spoke. "Couldn't let that fine ass drown."

  
Peter choked on a laugh, letting his forehead fall forward to rest against Wade's cheek as he giggled. He leaned back a moment later, and then pressed up to kiss Wade again, arms going around the merc's neck and pulling him close. He panted heavily as they parted what felt like forever later, their foreheads pressed together. One hand slowly pet over the crown of Wade's head, and the merc shivered in response, his eyes closing as he leaned into the touch.

  
Peter could tell he'd have to do a lot of touching in the future. He was completely okay with that.

  
"Nice to finally meet you." he said with a smile, meeting Wade's bright blue eyes. "I'm Peter Parker."

  
Wade blinked, snorted, and then laughed. "Hi, Peter Parker. Wade Wilson. Do you make a habit of making out with people before you introduce yourself?"

  
"Only with big, tall, handsome, muscly mercenaries." Peter assured him, and Wade grinned happily.

  
"I _knew_ you liked my muscles!"

  
Peter laughed, and then dragged him down into another kiss. Wade happily went with it, and Peter decided that this was _**exactly** _ what he'd been wanting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! That was just over twice as long as some of the previous chapters! I hope you guys liked it!


	6. In Which Wade Meets Aunt May (And Peter Gets to Return the Favor)

Things changed pretty quickly after that.

  
Peter ended up staying with Wade that night, pressed warm and safe against his body, his face buried against the merc's collarbone as he slept. He'd woken up to find Wade gone from the bed and in the kitchen making pancakes, and had moved up behind the merc to hug him from behind, pressing his cheek against the muscled back.

  
While Wade had put on a t-shirt and sleep pants, to Peter's great delight his face was still bare, and he'd taken complete advantage of that by dragging the man down for several deep kisses when he'd turned to say good morning. He'd pulled away and marveled over the smile on Wade's features, and made a promise to himself to make that smile return as often as he possibly could. It was a good look for the mercenary.

  
He ended up leaving later that day to return home, but was back in Wade's apartment within two days. Each day he went home, but before long he started to realize that he'd been somewhat slowly moving in without even talking about it. He had a toothbrush in the medicine cabinet in Wade's bathroom, his shampoo had traveled to the shower there, and he couldn't help but feel a little giddy inside when Wade had shyly presented him with an empty drawer in the dresser to keep his things in.

  
Life was really starting to look up. Peter felt like he _belonged_ somewhere in a way that he hadn't felt since he'd left Aunt May's house, and he loved every moment of it. He got to see that gentle, happy side of Wade that he'd only gotten glimpses of before, and was so glad that he was the one that more often than not brought it out.

  
Since Peter and Wade were spending more time together, it made sense that Spiderman and Deadpool began to do the same. People started to recognize them as a pair on the streets, and while it was the normal less than stellar wording, the Daily Bugle was even reporting that they were being seen together on the streets.

  
What Peter loved more than anything, though, was the way that Wade was becoming more and more comfortable around him. He certainly had his difficult days where Peter would come home to find him wrapped up in sweats, blankets, and the mask, but for the most part he sat around the house with his face bare, in boxers and a t-shirt that revealed his arms and legs.

  
And Peter took every chance to remind him that he loved him, scars and all. Just seeing the way that Wade lit up every time he heard those words made it all worth it.

  
He woke that morning in a position that had quickly become his favorite way to sleep - laying on his side on the bed, his arms and legs wrapped around a sleeping Wade, the merc's back pressed against his chest. He'd been more than a little surprised to discover that Wade adored being the little spoon, but he was completely happy to oblige - he found that he loved holding Wade just as much as the merc liked being held.

  
Stretching a little, he pressed a kiss or two to the back of Wade's neck before unwinding himself from the muscular body, gently untangling his fingers from Wade's and rolling to his feet. He had to hide a laugh as Wade immediately grumbled, rolling onto his back and star-fishing out across the bed as though to soak up the warmth that Peter had left behind.

  
Chuckling, Peter leaned down to drop a kiss to the bald head before heading to the bathroom, readying himself for the day with a light hum. Today was a big day, after all - the day that he took Wade to meet his Aunt.

  
He'd been prepping his boyfriend (was that what Wade was now?) for this trip for about a week, and despite all the rather frantic attempts to get Peter to change his mind, they were going. He knew that Wade was uncomfortable with the idea, but he felt that it was important. They'd been dating (and yes, it was _totally_ dating) for almost 2 months now, and it was vital to Peter that the man that he loved met the most important lady in his life.

  
Since Wade was so panicked about all this, though, he'd let him sleep for a little while longer. He knew that it had taken him some time to get to sleep the night before, so why not. They didn't have to be at Aunt May's for another few hours anyway - she was expecting them for lunch.

  
After finishing up, Peter headed into the bedroom to find Wade curled in a ball around his pillow, his face mashed into the fabric and the blankets all tangled up around his body. Peter chuckled fondly at the sight, and then ran a hand gently down his shoulder, leaning down to kiss his temple. "Wake up, love." he murmured softly, a word that he'd started using just recently. It always made Wade light up, so he had no qualms saying it.

  
"Mmgmmhm..." came from the lump, and Peter laughed.

  
"You do need to get up, we only have an hour before we need to leave." Peter murmured against his skin, and he squeaked as Wade rolled, wrapping his arms around him and tugging. He laughed a moment later, giggling as Wade nuzzled against his throat, his breath tickling against the soft skin beneath Peter's ear.

  
"Are you sure, Petey?" he asked softly, and the younger man grew quiet at the faint note of fear that he could hear in his boyfriend's voice. "I don't wanna... screw things up."

  
Peter crooned gently, wriggling until he could cup Wade's face between his hands and meet his gaze head on. "Hey." he said softly, firmly. "You're _not_ going to screw things up. Aunt May is going to love you because **_I_ ** love you. Understand?"

  
As always, Peter's declaration of love had Wade's blue eyes glimmering in happiness, and after a moment the merc nodded, sighing before shoving his head forward for a nuzzle which Peter happily turned into a kiss. "Now come on, up and at'em. Shower, teeth brushed, clean clothes, and we'll head out when you're ready, okay?"

  
Wade nodded, and Peter watched quietly as he headed to the bathroom to ready himself. He'd been expecting Wade to take a little extra time to prepare himself, which was why he'd given it an hour, and it seemed that his boyfriend (he _really_ liked the sound of that, he was going to use it more often) was taking that time that he'd been given. It was nearly 35 minutes before he'd left the bathroom, showered, teeth-brushed, and looking more ready for what was about to happen.

  
He got dressed in a nice, clean pair of jeans that Peter loved (they hugged those muscular thighs in _all_ the right ways~) and a button up shirt, and Peter found him fussing with a tie in the bedroom when he didn't come out right away. The brunet laughed faintly, taking the tie from him and setting it on the bed. "You don't need that." he said softly. "You look gorgeous, I promise."

  
Wade's mouth twisted into a frown, and Peter gently cupped his cheek, worry on his features. "I feel..." he started, frown deepening, and then sighed. "I feel naked. Would your Aunt be... upset if I wore a hoodie? I wanted to look nice for her, but you said I didn't need my mask, and I know you like it when I don't, and I don't think she knows you're Spidey yet, so I didn't want to screw that up, and..."

  
He was cut off by Peter's fingers against his lips, his blue eyes rising to meet Peter's, a little wide. Smiling, Peter leaned up to kiss his chin gently. "Aunt May will love you no matter what you wear." he replied firmly. "And if you feel more comfortable with a hoodie on, then wear a hoodie. Besides, those jeans do _fantastic_ things for your ass and thighs, I think I could care less what you wear on top." He grinned at the sparkle of mischief he saw in Wade's eyes at that, and then kissed the merc again. "And you're right, she doesn't know that I'm Spiderman, so I appreciate that you thought about that for me."

  
Drawing away from him, Peter watched as he stripped off the button-down and pulled on one of his favorite, worn, hoodies, though it was one of his nicer ones as well. The sleeves were extra long and hid his hands, and when he pulled the hood up it cast his face into shadow, so he could feel a bit more secure. "Okay." he said, smiling at Peter. "I'm ready."

  
"Then off we go." Peter replied, reaching out to take his hand before heading out of the apartment.

  
Unlike his own apartment, Wade's was actually closer to the little suburb that Aunt May lived in, so it was merely a 10 minute walk as opposed to a subway ride. Peter liked that part about Wade's place - it was just another reason that he'd been thinking of ending his lease when it came up in a few weeks. He'd have to talk to Wade about that, of course, but considering that he spent more nights in Wade's bed than his own... he was pretty sure that the merc wasn't going to protest.

  
Aunt May answered the door promptly when they arrived, a smile on her face and affection in her gaze as she gave Peter a hug. "I haven't seen you in _weeks_ , Peter!" she scolded a little as she stepped back, her hands on the young man's shoulders. "You really do need to come visit more often, I feel like I never see you sometimes."

  
"Sorry Aunt May." Peter replied, feeling chastised, but a smile still on his features. "It's been a crazy few months." He stepped aside a little, reaching out a hand back towards Wade, who was still standing on the bottom step of the porch, his hands in his pockets and his head down to hide his face in the shadow of his hood. "This is Wade, my boyfriend."

  
The woman smiled warmly at that, not even balking at the way that Wade was dressed, bless her. "It's wonderful to finally meet you, Wade - Peter talks about you all the time and how wonderful you are. Come in, please make yourself comfortable. Lunch is just about ready - I made some spaghetti."

  
"Nice to meet you, ma'am." Wade replied softly as he stepped forward, and Peter saw the faint jerk of his arm that meant that he'd started to reach out to take Peter's hand in return, but then stopped. "Thanks for inviting me."

  
"Well of course!" May replied, smiling warmly at him as she closed the door behind them. "I want to meet the man that has my Peter on cloud nine! He is quite in love with you, dear, I swear sometimes you're all he talks about. I can't even get a word in edgewise!"

  
"Aunt May!" Peter hissed faintly, his cheeks burning red. He could see the smile on Wade's face, though, and to his delight the merc had even raised his head a little, revealing more of his face.

  
And Aunt May - thank _God_ for her - didn't even flinch. "Well _hello_ there, and I can see why! Look that that gorgeous jaw and those pretty eyes! Peter was always a sucker for blue eyes, I swear. Even when he was a little boy, he'd make friends with all the little girls and boys that had blue eyes and tell me how pretty they were!"

  
Despite Peter's flaming face - he swore his cheeks were going to burst into flames - his heart was full and happy, because Wade was _laughing_.

  
The joy on his boyfriend's face, the ease that had slowly settled into the formerly tense line of his shoulders - Aunt May was working her magic, and it was wonderful to see. Wade was relaxing around her, something that normally took him days, if it happened at all, and Peter was beyond thrilled to see that he wasn't ducking his head anymore, than his hands weren't in his pockets.

  
As they headed into the kitchen, Peter stopped to kiss his Aunt's cheek. "Thank you." he whispered softly to her, and merely got a warm smile in response before she turned back to the table, urging them to take a seat and dig in.

  
************

  
That night, Peter lay curled against Wade's side, practically purring in pleasure as his boyfriend's rough, warm hand petted down his bare side. Wade was naked against him, which he loved, and Peter rubbed his cheek against the merc's shoulder with a happy sigh.

  
"Thanks, Petey." Wade said softly, and Peter raised his head a little to blink at him, unsure as to what he was being thanked for. He didn't even have to say it - Wade grinned at him, answering his silent question. "For taking care of me today. Making sure that I felt comfortable and all that. And for taking me to see Miss May. She's something, that's for sure."

  
Peter blinked again, and then grinned. "She really is. Something amazing - I've always known it. And I told you that she would love you."

  
"Mmm, you did." Wade replied, leaning forward to nuzzle his nose against Peter's cheek. "But really. Thanks."

  
The brunet laughed warmly, petting a hand down Wade's temple and cheek. "Of course." he murmured. "You're always taking care of me, after all. It was about time that I got to return the favor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter definitely fought me a bit - when I initially planned the story, I was going to go with an accident type thing that echoed the previous chapters, only where Peter got to do the saving. But after the way that the last chapter ended on me, it just didn't feel right. I wanted Peter to be able to take care of Wade in the same way that Wade had been doing for him - something that really took care of who Wade was and the things that he needed saving from. Wade doesn't really need saving from physical harm, so... this is what I came up with. 
> 
> I hope that everyone enjoyed this last chapter, and the story as a whole. It was really a spur of the moment fic that turned into something pretty fantastic and that I had so much fun writing, and I'm really sad to leave. I have some thoughts about other things to write that perhaps go off of this one - I may or may not continue it, so keep an eye out! 
> 
> Thanks again for everything!


End file.
